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E-book, Other

Description:

In this module, educators are informed about the benefits of Ptable for use in their classrooms. This online resource will help teachers conserve resources and avoid menial tasks dealing with periodicity.

Subjects:

Education > General

Educational Technology > General

Educational Technology > Integrating Technology into the Classroom

Science > General

Education Levels:

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Professional Education & Development

Keywords:

Ptable periodic periodicity isotopes electronegativity

Language:

English

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Members

License Deed:

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial

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Curriki Rating

On a scale of 0 to 3

3

On a scale of 0 to 3

This resource was reviewed using the Curriki Review rubric and received an overall Curriki Review System rating of 3, as of 2012-06-29.

Component Ratings:

Technical Completeness: 3Content Accuracy: 3Appropriate Pedagogy: 3

Reviewer Comments:

This resource is a paper from a class in Designs in Education Technology and is a draft of a tech expert module. The digital novel cited, which is available on line, is Inanimate Alice. It is unique because it is “transmedia storytelling, meaning that the story is told through multiple technological channels.” The digital story is replete with sound effects, videos, music, puzzles and games, requiring interactivity to progress. Lesson plans to accompany the online text, employing best literary practices are also accessible, as is a communiqué to parents regarding the digital novel which will require students to use the computer. The digital novel has high appeal to striving readers.

Not Rated Yet.

Overview:

Ptable is a dynamic periodic table, designed to combine the many different periodic tables used in the classroom into one, easy-to-use source. Ptable has a wealth of atomic information, color coded so that the students can analyze trends visually and concise so that teachers do not have to print out a different periodic table for electronegativity, ionization energy, etc. or have students look through charts to identify trends. Ptable is set up in a completely XHTML format, so there is no downloading and it is easy for all computers with the internet to run. This particular tool is probably most useful for chemistry, although it could be used in earth science, biology, or other physical sciences classes. The real strength of this resource lies in its breadth of knowledge. I could use this periodic table to help teach the periodic table, periodicity, nuclear chemistry, atomic orbitals or electron configurations. With this in mind, this is not a tool that students can get on a computer and learn from. The periodic table is most useful because it color coordinates atoms depending on whatever factor you decide – specific heat, boiling point, density, isotope abundance, etc. – and allows students to visualize abstract periodicity rules. Furthermore, the elements link to wikipedia pages and historical information about each element, making this ideal for element research projects. For more advanced classes, you can look at a periodic table of color coded electron affinities, then switch to the atomic orbital representations, and determine why the electron affinity of Rhenium is 14.5 kJ/mol while Osmium, its neighbor, is 106.1 kJ/mol. I have yet to find anything that this periodic table does not have, and continue to find new uses for it.

How to Get Started with Ptable:

When you first reach the periodic table, it will look exactly like every other periodic table that you have seen in your classroom or textbooks; maybe a little more pleasing on the eyes. Your computer might ask you if you want to allow Ptable to store information either on your computer or in their database. You should allow this. The Ptable will remember the last thing you were looking at, so you won't have to find what you were looking at if the browser closes for any reason, or if you are using the same views for multiple classes.

At the top of the periodic table, there are four tabs labeled “Wikipedia,” “Properties,” “Orbitals,” and “Isotopes.” We will come back to these tabs shortly. Just to the right of those tabs are four check boxes. These boxes are additive; you can click on all of them or none of them and the information will be added to the table, but all boxes to the left of the one you check will be utilized. For example, the name and weight will always be activated if you click on the “Electrons” box. These four boxes represent the standard periodic table configurations. Similar check-boxes are located in each of the four tabs, and work in almost the exact same way.

Moving to the next tab is as simple as clicking on it. This will bring us to the properties tab; probably the most useful one for teachers and scientists alike. In the center of the table, between groups 2 and 13 sits a group of selectable bubbles that, when clicked, will change the color of every atom on the periodic table to make the trends for that property easily visible. For most of the properties, there are secondary options located above the p-block elements. These can either be sliders, for melting point, boiling point, ect, or more selectable bubbles, for specific heat, abundance, ect. These settings should be explored fully for teachers to fully utilize them in their own classes and lessons.

Using the orbital tab will allow your students to see what electrons are in which atomic orbitals, and gives small 3-D models of what those orbitals look like. What's most amazing about this, is that I had never seen representations of the 5f or 6d orbitals before looking at this periodic table.

The isotopes tab is probably the least useful of the tabs, but still provides a plethora of information about the isotopes of the different elements, and allows you to scroll over the individual elements to look at all of the known isotopes and how they decay.

This video provides a visual explanation of the steps described above in case anything is unclear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX56SP-lTHc&hd=1&noredirect=1

Classroom Examples:

Example 1: Mrs. Kuberek (at a York County, VA public school) uses Ptable first to help her students understand electron configurations and orbital notations. The complete set of orbitals for each element saves her time in class, when she used to have to draw them out for each element. Additionally, the students use the information from Ptable to complete a project on elements. The project requires that the students incorporate many physical and chemical properties into the project, and Ptable has them all in one place. Mrs. Kuberek first shows them how to use the resource in class and then has them do the work at home. When dealing with isotopes and half-lives, the students are shown the relative composition of different isotopes in Ptable.

Example 2: students.ed.uiuc.edu/vagianos/ePORT/periodictableunit.pdf

This expansive unit describes a plethora of ways the students are to use the periodic table. The vast majority of the days include students using periodic tables handed out in class and tables of values so that students can construct period rules. By using Ptable, this teacher could cut out the transfer of data from tables onto periodic tables, and could have the class more focused on the actual understanding of why the periodicity exists.

This is one example of how a lesson can go from monotonous to engaging with the use of Ptable. The students are being asked to color in blank periodic tables based on different properties and then answer analytical questions about them. Ptable puts all of the information in one place, and allows the students to spend their time interacting with the data, switching between properties and orbitals, to better understand the answers to the important questions posed at the end of the lesson.

This last example will take a specific look at how Ptable can be used to make neclear chemistry easier for students to understand. Lesson 48 includes a powerpoint that is so full of information that it will make your head spin. Much of the material could be simplified by showing students the half-lives, stability, and abundance numbers on Ptable. This will also help students understand how the molar mass of an element is calculated and engage them in the types of radiation that each isotope produces.

Assessing ... for the Classroom:

Pro's

The two things that set Ptable apart from other periodic tables are its consolidation and ease of use. This resource can be used across a broad range of topics, as was discussed in the introduction, and is extremely easy to use. It contains an unbelievable wealth of information on its own, and then also provides easy links to outside sources with more in-depth histories and information. This periodic table can be easily integrated with other technologies, such as SmartBoards, to create an even more interactive learning tool. The use of XHTML allows for seamless transition across different scalings and consistently good resolution, and helps teachers easily integrate it into their classroom for more engaging lessons.

Con's

On the other hand, it does take a strong foundation to make full use of this table. Students who do not understand what the concepts are will not be able to make use of the wealth of information it provides. The website itself will not teach the students about periodicity and the properties of atoms and elements, but will instead be a solid resource to enhance and streamline learning. It also requires internet access to utilize.

Considerations for Teachers:

Use this tool! Using this tool will make your life much easier, because all of the periodicity requirements are all in once concise package. The more comfortable you are with the table, the more useful it will become.

Technological Coupling: If possible, try to work with some sort of external technology (such as a SmartBoard or class iPads) to help the students engage with the material.

Don't use this to teach your class. Without teacher instruction, this resource will add very little to course. Even though it is easy for you to understand, that doesn't mean the students will understand it.

Introduce the students to this resource. The complement of statement three; while this won't teach the students everything they need to learn, it will enhance their learning, and you can help them out by showing them how the site is used in class.

Don't be afraid of going outside the box. This resource obviously has far more information than any high school or college student needs, but that doesn't mean that the extra information cannot be used. Showing orbital diagrams or isotope breakdown can be a great was of getting the students engaged and excited about the material!